All Work + No Play = Dull

Homes, like people, need some fun.

When real estate is held as an investment, it needs to work all the time. The key factor driving value is the net income produced by maximizing revenue and controlling costs. 

Our homes are much more than investments managed for income maximization. They maximize our lives -- as the places we start and end each day, where we work, relax, and express ourselves. Not all these benefits translate to dollar gains. That's okay. 

Don't reduce a home's value to its investment potential. Apply your efforts to making your house give you the most out of life. Practical things like efficient but welcoming kitchens may produce a financial payback. Personal touches that can brighten inevitable stormy days can be invaluable to you, beyond the real estate value enhancement they may or may not provide.